Glissade Ballet
by The Light's Refrain
Summary: ONESHOT He was determined to prove his worth, but this wasn't what he had in mind. How could this have happened? How could he have been so selfish, so graceless? He had hit the ground before he even knew he was falling, and she...SoulSilvershipping. Prizefic for reppad98!


_Hi everyone! A while back, reppad98 won a contest I was running. Now, after much laziness and distraction, I've finally finished the prizefic. I hope you enjoy it reppad! This fic also uses the prompt word "dance" from The General Prompt Challenge on the Pokemon Fanfiction Challenge forums! Come check it out sometime: the link's on my profile :)._

**Disclaimer: What, you think I own Pokemon? I'd have an army of Ursaring...that would probably destroy my house.**

Glissade Ballet

"_We are each of us angels, with only one wing…" _

Silver had come to the notorious mountain not because it bore his name, though that was a fine tribute. Mount Silver was the coldest, most brutal monument of nature that existed in Johto, and Silver planned to prove his strength by conquering it.

It was easy enough slipping past the guards, who were sleepier than Hoothoot during daylight. It wasn't so easy reaching the foot of the mountain, with the pathway clogged with thorny brush and fierce Pokemon. But Silver didn't bother stopping at the lonely Pokemon Center huddled at Mount Silver's base, and instead immediately began ascending the mountain. His Typhlosion's fiery breath blasted away all cold and foes. Soon Silver couldn't see the bottom of the mountain, though he couldn't see the top either.

_Lyra…_Silver thought. Lyra, the girl who had conquered everything, including him. The brunette with the effortless grin who always remained a skip ahead. Well, he would conquer her yet. That's why he was here, to find her once more and finally win this never-ending dance.

The frosty air began to flurry, and then the flurry roiled itself up into a blizzard. Not even Typholsion could continue in this weather, much less Silver, so they headed into one of the myriad caves skewering the mountain.

A few steps into the mountain's dim insides, and Silver spotted his target: Lyra. She was balled up against the wall, hat gone, outfit torn, shivering, sobbing. Suddenly Silver's resolution crumbled like a poorly-formed snowball.

"Lyra!" Silver shouted, dashing over. His frantic footsteps resonated loudly in the too-quiet caverns. "Lyra, what happened?"

Lyra lifted her head from her arms, her eyes wide with both disbelief and fear. "M-My Pokemon all got t-taken out."

"By a wild Pokemon?" asked Silver. The Pokemon he had fought here so far had been pretty tough, but to think there were ones who could beat Lyra's, the _Champion's_, team…

Lyra shook her head. "N-No, it was…There was this Trainer at the top of the mountain. He didn't say anything, but his Pokemon…I've _never_ faced anyone that strong. Ever. He had a whole team with him, but with just a couple of Pokemon he…" It was clear by the wild look in her eyes that this Trainer frightened her more than any wild animal. "T-Then I had to start going down the mountain by myself…"

"Didn't you have any healing items with you?" Silver snapped.

Lyra cringed back. "I-I used them all when I was fighting t-that Trainer…"

Silver glanced away guiltily. He didn't mean to be so harsh. It was just after all those times when Lyra had lectured him about not having enough healing items…But he still didn't have the right to talk, because he was completely out of healing items too…

"I-I tried to call people on my Pokegear, but I can't get any signal here," Lyra added timidly. "Then the wild Pokemon kept coming after me…I-I-I should have bought more Max Potions and Revives before I came here. I-I knew I was running out, but I didn't think…I didn't…" More tears welled up in her brown eyes, and she buried her head in her arms again.

_Now you've done it, you ass,_ thought Silver, as he heard her crying. He stood there frozen, trying to figure out what to do. So many times, especially early on, he wanted to see her defeated and weeping, to see her lose to _anybody _just once. But now that he was actually seeing it though, he only felt rage: rage toward the person who had beat her, and rage toward himself for ever wanting such a thing to happen in the first place.

Silver sat down next to Lyra, though he was careful not to touch her. "Hey…I'm sorry, okay?"

Lyra glanced up, tears still streaming down her reddened cheeks. "Why?"

"Because…" Silver began. "Just…stuff…" He looked outside, where the blizzard was still howling like a mad beast. Inside there was only an uncomfortable silence, rippled only by frequent sniffs from Lyra. She was still shivering.

"…Here, take this," said Silver, taking off his black jacket and handing it to Lyra. The cold air bit at his bare arms.

Lyra gaped at it like it was a legendary Pokemon. "But, what about you?"

"I've got Typholsion," said Silver. "Actually, Typholsion should be able to keep us both warm. But take the jacket too."

"Um, okay," said Lyra, meekly accepting the jacket and putting it on. The sleeves were too long, and the sight almost made Silver want to snicker.

There was more silence. Typholsion laid across both of their laps, resting its huge head on Silver's lap. It growled and roared at any approaching wild Pokemon, which quickly got the message and fled. Lyra had stopped crying and shivering, but she still seemed anxious and sad.

"I've…never lost to anyone before," Lyra said quietly. "I depend on my Pokemon so much…I never really thought about what I would do if I was stranded anywhere without their help or any supplies…" She smiled for a second, but it soon faded.

"You should've," said Silver. _And here goes my damn mouth again._

Lyra smiled longer this time. "I know." She grew somber again. 'If you weren't here, I…I don't know what would have happened…"

Silver suspected Lyra knew keenly what would have happened to her in an isolated place like this. Suddenly Silver understood how so many prodigy Trainers perished or went missing. A Trainer experienced with losses, like him, knew how to survive the wilderness until they reached a Pokemon Center. But when a Trainer with no previous losses ended up alone in an area with high-level Pokemon…

"Don't worry, I'll take you back," said Silver. "It's what that bastard up there should have done. It's common courtesy, when two Trainers battle in a dangerous place like this…" He himself had refused to do it in the past, not realizing the importance of it until later. Those were all low-level areas, so the defeated Trainers should have been alright…

But _that_ Trainer…This was the most perilous place in Johto! Lyra…Silver could have lost her. He could have _lost her_! That thought gave him a deeper chill than any frigid storm. That _bastard_! He wanted to fight that Trainer right now, leave him a bloody smear on the pure, uncaring snow. He would protect Lyra from people like him even if he…died? When did desire take him _that _far?

As the quiescence tiptoed along, Silver put an arm around Lyra and pulled her close. She gave a peep of surprise and gazed at him in shock. Silver said nothing, and neither did she as she let herself lean against him. Together they watched the snowflakes flit around like dancers on the winds.

Dancers…he and Lyra had been locked into a vicious dance ever since they met as fledgling Trainers. The scarlet-haired boy had always fought for control, but Lyra, with her pretty smile, always seemed to be the one leading. It had frustrated him to no end, as he struggled to outpace her swift steps.

But, as he was now realizing, that wasn't how a dance worked. Dancing wasn't a competition between two dancers. It was about working together, complementing each other's movements, becoming a single being whose separate motions flowed seamlessly together.

The snowstorm finally faded back to flurries, before stopping altogether. Silver nudged his dozing Typholsion so it would move off them. The red-haired boy stood up, paused, and then offered his hand to Lyra, who was still sitting. He would take the lead now, not because he was stronger, but because it was his duty.

She grinned and took his hand. He smiled softly in return.

"…_And we can only fly by embracing one another." -Luciano de Cresendo_

_IIIIII_

_There are so many fics of Lyra saving Silver (well, it is kinda canon), that I wanted to write a fic about Silver saving Lyra instead. This is the result. Hope you enjoyed, and feel free to review!_


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